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Manchester United came into this match with back to back defeats from their last two games, the first time it had happened since 26 years, while Burnley was a far way off from the form they had shown last season. Both the teams needed a win to shut the critics and get a confidence booster going into the international break.
United started the game as they did against Spurs with Jesse Lingard's effort inches wide of Hart's goal. Lingard came close again, but his curling shot moved wide off the post. United kept the pressure on, and it was looking like it was just a matter of time before United opened their scoring. And that time finally came when Lukaku headed home after a delightful dinked cross by Alexis Sanchez. For Burnley, attacks were increasingly sporadic.
The interchange and passing among the forwards and the full-backs were expectational for United, and finally, it paid dividends for them when Lukaku doubled the lead for the visitors before the halftime whistle. United looked dominant all throughout the first half and deservedly going into the break with their noses in front.
Burnley needed a big performance in the second half to get anything out of this game. Smalling provided an excellent ball over the top for Sanchez, but Bardsley made sure the Chilean didn't have a clean shot on goal. Rashford fell inside the box and referee awarded a penalty to Manchester United which Paul Pogba failed to convert.
Things got heated up immediately with Rashford getting sent off after a clash with Bardsley which allowed Burnley to press hard for a comeback into the game. Burnley committed players high up the pitch which allowed United a lot of space behind the Burnley defence with Lukaku missing a one on one against Hart for his hat-trick.
Burnley never really looked like scoring all throughout the match and though they did carve out some good chances in the game, that was not enough to salvage any point.
Here are the three talking points from the game at Turf Moor.
#1 Lukaku's recovery from the Spurs horror show
Against Tottenham Hotspur, Romelu Lukaku was wasteful in front of the goal. He missed some clear-cut chances especially the miss on an open net which didn't go down well with the fans.
There was a lot of pressure on him to perform well in this match and he didn't disappoint at all. He opened the scoring in the first half with a beautiful header from an Alexis Sanchez cross and then doubled the lead before halftime. He could have easily scored a hat-trick with the number of chances he got in the second half, but those two goals proved crucial in United getting all three points from the game.
#2 Worries for Sean Dyche
Sean Dyche must be scratching his head thinking what could be done to change the fortunes of the club. Burnley was the surprise package last season finishing 7th in the Premier League, their best in the top flight. However, things have not gone as planned for them this season.
They got dumped out of the Europa League midweek and are yet to register a win in the Premier League this season. The International break could be a blessing for Sean Dyche who must be hoping that his team can emulate the same form they showed last season else it could be a long season for them to stay up in the Premier League.
#3 A sigh of relief for Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho and Manchester United are going through a torrid time at the moment. He has been in the centre of criticism from the media, the analysts and the pundits for his attitude and his style of play. After the Spurs game, this was a must-win match for United and Mourinho. Also for the first time this season, United managed to keep a clean sheet after questions about the quality of their defenders were inflating.
Mourinho will be pleased with how his boys played and will be hoping they continue to do so when the Premier League resumes after the International break.
